Louisville Cardinal Fleur De Lis

This is for all of the Louisville Cardinal fans out there that want to make a cool fixture to put in their household or make as a gift for someone. I've always been a Louisville fan and wanted to create something symbolic of the city and college I love especially since I have the equipment available to do this.

In this DIY project I created the Louisville cardinal logo traced out by a fleur de lis. Here are the equipment and materials necessary for the project.

Materials:

- 2' x 2' mild steel (about 1/8" thick)

- Calipers

- Powder coating paint

Equipment:

- Computer and water jet machine

- Powder coating sprayer/nozzle

- Oven

- Heat resistant gloves

Step 1: Attain a Sheet of Mild Steel

For this metal fixture I used a 2' x 2' mild steel sheet. Dimensions can be adjusted using CAD software to obtain the desire sized. The .dxf file is attached in this instructable.

Step 2: Cut Steel Sheet

If your steel sheet isn't already cut into the 2' x 2' dimensions then you may need to use a hydraulic metal sheer machine like I did to get the desired dimensions.

Step 3: Water Jet

Use the water jet machine to cut out the cardinal fleur de lis design. For assistance on how to use the water jet machine then please check out this instructable.

Once the water jet has finished the job, remove the cut out design.

Step 4: Powder Coat

Powder coat the metal and use any color you like. In my fixture I used satin black as the powder coat.

Step 5: Bake

After powder coating place the powder coated metal into the oven for 20 minutes at a temperature of 400 degrees Fahrenheit.

Step 6: Finish

Once the powder coat is baked onto the metal then pull the fixture out of the oven and let cool for 20 minutes. Don't forget to wear heat resistant gloves during this process! Enjoy your new fixture and remember.. Go Cards!!!